Air conditioning structure



March 6, 1956 H, w, KLEIST 2,737,027

AIR CONDITIONING STRUCTURE Filed Nov. 4, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet l In V6}? for fi erkzavz M/L'Zellsl March 6,1956 w, KLEIST 2,737,027

AIR CONDITIONING STRUCTURE Filed Nov. 4, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 4/1077? eys'.

March 1955 H. w. KLElST AIR CONDITIONING STRUCTURE 4 Sheets-Sheet. 3

Filed Nov. 4, 1950 fnz/enzor fer/22a)? M 15761.3!

fi l MM r l l l I l I I l l 1 l Jf/arweya H. W. KLEIST- AIR CONDITIONING STRUCTURE March 6, 1956 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed NOV. 4, 1950 J72 venzar fiwrzan 5613762252 United States Patent AIR CONDITIONING STRUCTURE Herman W. Kleist, Chicago, Ill., assiguor to Dole Re: frigerating Company, Chicago, Ill., a corporation or Illinois Application November 4, 1950, Serial No. 194,141

2 Claims. (Cl. 62-6) My invention relates to an improvement in air conditioning and has for one purpose to provide improved air conditioning equipment.

Another purpose is to provide an improved method of air conditioning.

Another purpose is to provide improved means for cooling an intermediate cooling medium for circulation through the space to be cooled.

Other purposes will appear from time to time in the course of the specification and claims.

I illustrate my invention more or less diagrammatically is. the accompanying drawings in which Figure l is a vertical section through a more or less diagrammatically indicated dwelling to which my air conditioning equipment and system are applied.

Figure 2 is a similar section on an enlarged scale illustrating part of a variant air conditioning installation.

Figure 3 is a section on anenlarged scale on the line 3, 3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a section through a variant form of cooling member.

Figure 5 is a plan view with parts in horizontal section illustrating an intermediate heat exchange member employed in my system; and

Figure 6 is a section on the line 6, 6 of Figure 5.

Like parts are indicated by like'symbols throughout the specification and drawings.

Referring first to Figure l, A generally indicates a housing or building the interior of which is to be air conditioned. 1 generally indicates the lower floor or cellar area and 2, 2 indicates individualdwelling rooms. 3 indicates an outside installation space and 4 an inside or cellar installation space or room.

13 generally or less diagrammatically indicates a heat exchange member whichis illustrated in greater detail in Figures 5 and 6. It may include, for example, heat insulated walls '5 and a removable heat insulated cover 6. 7 'is a source of supply of Water to be cooled. it is indicated as a pipe passing through one of the walls 5 and communicating with a manifold 3 having a plurality of downwardly inclined spouts 9. ll is a runoff pipe from which cold water can be Withdrawn, for example, by any suitablepumping means 11 illustrated in Figure 1. The pump 11, driven from any suitable power source not shown, is effective to supply adequately cooled water along the Water delivery pipe 12. Referring to the details of the heat exchange member B, I find it advantageous to employ a plurality of cold plates individually indicated 1 5. Each plate is formed of side walls sealed to their edges to close an inner space in such fashion that it is liquid and gas tight. This inner space is indicated, for example, at C in Figure 6. Within this space 1 illustrate a coil to through which a volatile refrigerant may be circu ated. Each such coil has an inlet end on connection 16:1 and an outlet end on connection Mb. I may advantageously maintain a less than atmospheric pressure within the space C, for example, by withdrawing air through any suitable fitting 17 through which air canthe various individual rooms.

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not inwardly pass into the space C. An advantage of providing a pressure differential is that the flexible metal side walls of each plate 14 are drawn firmly inwardly against the coil 16, or against any suitable spacers, if spacers are used. The plates are thus maintained flat, or to a predetermined exterior form, with the evaporator coil 16 in proper heat transfer relation with the walls of the plate.

t will also be understood that I may provide a suitable eutectic as a storage or heat fiy wheel means. This eutectic partially or substantially fills the space Within the plate and about the coil 16. Such eutectics have the characteristic of freezing or solidifying at a predetermined temperature. They constitute, in effect, a supply of cold, which will absorb heat for a substantial period, after the termination of evaporation or cycling of the volatile refrigerant in the evaporating coil 16.

In order to supply the volatile refrigerant to the plates, 1 may employ a compressor Ztl located within a ventilated housing 21 in the outside Work space 3. 22 is any suitable motor for actuating the compressor 20. 23 is any suitable condenser. 24 is the high pressure delivery line along which the condensed refrigerant is delivered under pressure toward the plates. 25 indicates any suitable pressure reduction valve or assembly from which delivery ducts 25 extend to each of the plates 14;. 2'7 is any suitable common passage or manifold to which the outlets idb of the various plates deliver. 28 is the return or suction pipe to the compressor 20. it will be understood that when the refrigerant is delivered to the plates, it evaporates and abstracts heat from the water delivered along the passage 7 and by the nozzles 9. The pressure at which the refrigerant evaporates is so related to the eutectic that the eutectic within the plates freezes solid. Also a layer of ice is formed along and across each face of each of the four plates 14. The thickness of the ice layer may be controlled to permit the passage of water along the spaces between the plates and also along the spaces between the outside plates and the insulated walls 5. Que of the nozzles is aligned with each such space and delivers water or any other suitable liquid medium therethrough. The thickness of the layer of outside ice may be controlled by any suitable means. I may employ, for example, a temperature responsive element or bulb shown at 3t supported on any suitable spacer or support 33:, the bulb being suitably connected with the motor 22. or with any suitable control means or circuit for the motor 22. Thus when the ice layer approaches or reaches the bulb fill, the motorZZ will cease to drive the compressor Ztl, and the cycling of refrigerant through the coils l6 ceases. However, the ice outside of the plates and the eutectic within the plates serves to maintain a substantially constant temperature in the water or other liquid medium which is drawn by the pump 11 and delivered thereby along the supply pipe 12. This water can be piped to any suitable supplemental heat exchange members 35. These are shown as arranged in Figure 1 in Each such member may include finned coils 36, controllable'louvers '37 and any suitable air delivering motor and fan 38. Thus, in the embodiment of my invention, shown in Figure 1, a liquid or fluid medium is cooled to a predetermined temperature and is piped, at that temperature, to various points of use. The medium then is put into heat exchange relation with air in the particular rooms to which the medium is piped. While a fan and finned coil assembly is satisfactory and practical, I do not wish to be limited to any specific heat transfer means in the individual rooms.

My invention may also be practically applied to houses where the air is heated by any suitable furnace and is delivered along hot air ducts to individual rooms. I illusirate more or less diagrammatically in Figure 2 an arrangcment of that type. With reference to Figure 2, 40 indicates any suitable furnace shown as provided with a fan 4-1 driven by a motor 42. Air is drawn by the fan through suitable filters 43 and is delivered through any suitable plenum chamber 44 whence it passes by any suitable outlet ducts 55, 45 to individual covered outlets The air to be cooled may be drawn from the room space 4-7 through any suitable outlet 4% and along the duct 4-? to any suitable plenum chamber t). This plenum chamher or return air passage is normally in d ect commun cation with the inlet side of the fan 41. .en the tem is being used to heat the housing, 1 may, for example, move the valve or flap Sl to the position in which it is shown in dotted line in Figure 2. However, when the furnace 44; is not in use for a heating pm ose, l may dr the flap 51 to the full line position of 1 "l" is then deflected through any suitable 53. In thisby-pass 1 position the ed coil 1 generally indicated as and show. in sour, Figure 3. Cold water may be delivered to it 55, extending from the heat exchange unit or r 56 which will be understood to be as shown in l and 6. The usec water is returned to the heat exchange assembly 56 through any suitable pipe 57. Any suitable valving may be employed as at 55a for inter rupting tne passage of water through the finned coil assembly In Figure 4 is illustrated a modified form of cooling or heat exchange member. It includes, for ex mple, end manifolds 6i? and 61 connected by transversely extending parallel cross pipes 62 which are suitably finned as at It will be realized that whereas I have described and shown a practical and operative device, reverthelcss m y changes nay be mate in size, shape, nu titer and disposition of parts without departing from the spirit oi r-zy ire vent-ion. I therefore wish my description d. to be taken as in a broad sense illustrative or diagrammatic rather than as limiting me to my specific showing herein.

The use and operation of my invention are as follows:

I employ what is in effect a two-stage heat exchange system for heating space. This system includes the following mechanisms or steps:

A fluid medium such as water supplied for domestic use is cooled to a predetermined delivery temperature. I preferably cool it by passing it through a heat exchange member or group of members in which a eutectic is employed within one or more plates as a storage medium and the storage effect is further increased by the provision of ice layers through which the medium, or water to be cooled, is directed. Where there is a substantial call for refrigeration, the cycling of the volatile refrigerant may be frequent or almost continuous. But at low load, cycling may be infrequent and the eutectic and the ice serve to maintain the delivered medium at the desired predetermined temperature.

This medium may be used either to supply individual room heat exchange members, or it may be used to cool the air delivered by a single delivery means. Where a house heating system with air ducts is employed in connection with a plenum chamber and fan, my system is well adapted to cooling the entire supply of air delivered to one or to a number of rooms.

I claim:

1. in an enclosure cooling system with stand-by refrigeration, a plurality of generally upright parallel spaced evaporation elements, each having an evaporator coil enclosed in a plate, means for intermittently cycling a volatile refrigerant through the coils, means for obtaining stand-by refrigeration including a water container surrounding the evaporator elements so that its interior is in heat exchange relationship with them, means for circulating cool water through the container and withdrawing it, including a water circuit having a water run-off in liquid communication with a heat exchange member, the adjacent faces of the plates and sides of the container defining a plurality of parallel water passages, water return spouts on the opposite side of the container from the run-off and generally aligned with the water passages, each evaporator element being filled with a eutectic surrounding the coil for obtaining additional stand-by refrigeration, means for controlling the cycling of the refrigerant in response to temperature variations in the container adapted to terminate the refrigerant cycling when a predetermined layer of ice has accumulated on the plates, and means for maintaining a heat exchange relation between said heat exchange member and the air to be cooled in the enclosure.

2, in an enclosure cooling system with stand-by refrigeration, a plurality of generally upright parallel spaced evaporation elements, each having an evaporator coil enclosed in a plate, means for intermittently cycling a volatile refrigerant through the coils, means for obtaining stand-by refrigeration including a water container surrounding the evaporator elements so that its interior is in heat exchange relationship with them, means for circulating cool water through the container and withdrawing it, including a water circuit having a water run-off in liquid communication with a heat exchange member, the adjacent faces of the plates and sides of the container defining a plurality of parallel water passages, water return openings on the opposite side of the container from the runoff and generally aligned wih the water passages, each evaporator element being filled with a eutectic surrounding the coil for obtaining additional stand-by refrigeration, means for controlling the cycling of the refrigerant in response to temperature variations in the container adapted to terminate the refrigerant cycling when a predetermined layer of ice has accumulated on the plates, and means for maintaining a heat exchange relation between said heat exchange member and the air to be cooled in the enclosure.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

